1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a composite type of document processing/printing apparatus having an external storage unit, a display unit, a print output unit, and a control circuit unit for editing document data, storing this data in the storage unit, displaying the data on the display unit and making the print output unit perform printing, and combining these units integrally with a main body of the apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a document processing/printing apparatus, such as a word processor or a personal computer, is substantially constituted by an input unit such as a keyboard for inputting character data and control commands, a storage unit such as a floppy disk unit for storing edited document data, a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT for displaying document data during or after editing and the control command menu, a print output unit for printing characters on a recording paper on the basis of the document data, and a control circuit unit for controlling editing of document data and the operations of these units.
Conventionally, in a document processing/ printing apparatus of this type, the above-mentioned units are constructed independently and are thereafter connected to each other by cables, thereby completing the whole of the apparatus. Recently, composite-type apparatus constructed by integrally combining the respective units are increasingly developed. In particular, a composite type of document processing/ printing apparatus constructed by integrating the external storage unit, the display unit, the print output unit and the control circuit unit is advantageous in that it has a reduced overall size and is convenient in terms of handling. This composite type of document processing/printing apparatus is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 62-27427.
In the above-described composite type of document processing/printing apparatus, the print output unit is disposed in an upper portion of the main body frame in consideration of the feeding/drawing operation of recording paper. As disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 60-90785, the print output unit is designed to feed a recording paper sheet downwards, bend and backwardly turn the sheet within the main body, and draw it upwards after printing.
Since, in the thus-constructed apparatus, the sheet is curved and turned backward along a curved sheet path in the print output unit, the radius of curvature of the curved sheet path must be reduced in order to reduce the overall size of the apparatus. This makes it difficult to print characters on a thick recording sheet such as a post card.
A separate type of print output unit independent of other units has been proposed. Such one is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 60-131272. The separate type of print output unit is designed to transport a recording sheet to or from a platen in the horizontal direction. However, this type of printing unit is disadvantageous owing to lack of consideration of printing on thick recording sheets, since, in this unit, the leading end of a recording sheet supplied from a table disposed on the front side is curved in a curved transfer path formed at the rear of a printing section. In addition, it is difficult to incorporate this unit in a composite type of document processing/printing apparatus designed to reduce the overall size and simplify the structure, because the structure of this unit is complicate due to the provision of the tiltable table and the curved transfer path formed in the main body frame.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 62-234963 disclose a word processor having a print output unit tiltably connected to the main body of the apparatus. This apparatus is also unsatisfactory in terms of recording sheet guidance.